"High-temperature superconductors (but also other materials) exhibit numerous excitations in the terahertz range, such as the Josephson plasma resonance (Cooper pairs tunnel in the direction perpendicular to the superconducting CuO_2 planes) and vibrations of the crystal lattice."

Trying to make sense of this as might pertain to Terahertz Graphine Lasers.

"... exhibit numerous excitations..." Does this mean that superconductive materials also radiate in terahertz range when pumped? Or does it mean that supercontive regions are excited by terahetz radiation? The latter seems to make more sense but maybe its both.

Any further understanding of superconducting, leading towards the practical manufaturing of materials that exhibit this effect at room, or higher temperature, would be enormous.

Terahertz emitters have been a real problem child, witness the gyrotron, but if graphene lasers can pick up the guantlet there should be plenty of practical applications in communications, imaging and security.

I asked the researcher, Isabella Gierz how terahertz lasers could aid in study of superconductors, and this is what she replied:

"High-temperature superconductors (but also other materials) exhibit numerous excitations in the terahertz range, such as the Josephson plasma resonance (Cooper pairs tunnel in the direction perpendicular to the superconducting CuO_2 planes) and vibrations of the crystal lattice."

Also the main message in this story is that graphene was once considerd unsuitable for making lasers, but now has been shown to be a promising material with which pulsed terahertz lasers could be made (and no other material has been shown capable of making a terahertz laser, so it will be a first if proven out).

I'm still trying to work out how lasers in the terahertz range will probe superconductivity, but meanwhile I'm also thinking how much more comfortable people going through airports would be knowing that they are not only being exposed to radiation, but that there are also lasers involved. Maybe it's best that that doesn't make its way into the marketing materials...

It seems like this is a cool technology in search of an application. Is there really any meat there? By the way, not to nitpick but 'elusive' is probably a better choice than 'illusive', which looks uncomfortably close to 'illusion'. My assumption is that is not the message you are sending.

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